Breathe
by abetterhuman
Summary: "I realized that I wasn't alone in this feeling." It's almost a whisper but she hears it. "Also the water looks really cold." Warning: attempted suicide. Au: we talked each other out of jumping from this bridge.


Prompt requested on tumblr: "you wanna kill yourself I wanna kill myself and we both meet on this bridge that we're going to jump off, but we end up taking each other out of suicide"

* * *

It's a Thursday night, the weather is chilly but at least it has finally stopped raining. The bridge is lonely, not a soul in sight. It's not a bridge many drive through, especially at this time. Most people are at home with their families eating dinner. She should be too but she's not sure who to call her family anymore. She feels like she can't breathe.

She nears the railing, her hand gripping the cold metal. Looking down at the water rolling gently, she wonders what would kill her. The impact, shock, hypothermia, or would the water fill her lungs eventually stilling her heart. She moves a foot to swing over the edge-

"You really don't want to do that." The voice startles her and her foot drops but her hands remain locked.

She looks at the newcomer. Long brown hair, hazel eyes and red lips. The girl is wearing a coat just like hers only in a different 's never seen the girl before but she's quite beautiful. If she wasn't annoyed at being interrupted she might have said so.

"Are you going to stop me?" She asks softly. She really isn't in the mood to fight.

The girl shrugs, "No, but I heard it's very painful."

She loosens her grip feeling an inkling of dress start to develop in her stomach.

When she doesn't reply the girl continues, "It's going to feel like you hit concrete at 100 miles a minute."

She scoffs finally finding her voice, "Okay now you're just exaggerating."

The girl smirks, "Maybe, but it will hurt like shit before you fall unconscious."

She glances down at the freezing water. Feeling nauseous she steps away from the ledge.

"So what brought you here?" The girl moves closer and leans against the railing. There's still distance between them but not so much the she feels lonely, not to close that she feels suffocated.

She wraps her arms around her body as she contemplates the last days. "My whole life has been a lie. My dad's not my father, and my real father, to put it simply, is an asshole."

She doesn't know why she shares that with the stranger. Maybe because she feels there's nothing less to lose, nonetheless she feels minutely better with the confession. She watches the girl waiting for the pity that well eventually come. It doesn't.

"That sucks. But hey at least you have a father." The girl responds. It doesn't feel like a statement but neither an accusation, somewhere in between.

Yet she feels the need to defend her case. "Dead mother." Maybe she's the one with the pity party.

"Ah," the girl nods before offering, "you can have mine if you want but I'm warning you no returns."

The girl's smile is playful but there is a hint of sadness in her voice.

"That bad." She says with a smile. And it's sincere, she's not sure why but her chest doesn't feel as heavy anymore.

"If you want her you'll have to visit her in prison." She adds nonchalantly.

"Oh." She really doesn't know what to say. Am awkward silence settles between them and she wonders what this girl is doing on a Thursday night at this particular bridge.

"So what brought you here?" She reiterates the earlier question.

The girl smiles and looks up at the sky. "I think it was fate. I was sent here to stop you from jumping and in return you stopped me."

She's sure her mouth is slightly open. What are the odds of two people deciding to jump from the same bridge on the same night. The girl's gaze returns to her, eyes boring into her own.

"You were going to jump?" She chokes out.

The girl nods and looks straight ahead.

"Why?" The question is out of her mouth before she can even process her intrusiveness. "I'm sorry that was-"

"You didn't ask me why she's in prison."

She frowns not sure if the girl is changing the subject. She remains silent waiting for the girl to elaborate.

"She killed my grandpa. The only person who cared about me. My father died when I was young, my mom never cared, my grandpa's gone, my boyfriend dumped me for some blonde with an oversized head, and my best friend," she paused and shook her head with a sad smile, "well that's my fault, I pushed her away."

She's speechless, the tables have turned and she's not sure how to comfort the girl before her. "Sounds like you've had a rough week."

She grimaces feeling like a insensitive jerk but the girl only smiles in return. That smile which make her feel like she's missing something.

"Did I tell you I also got fired from my job? Apparently it's not okay to dump hot coffee on sexist pigs." The girl says this with joy and she finds herself smiling once more that night.

"When I saw you here I thought it wouldn't feel so scary if I had someone to jump with." The girl looks pensive as she turns around to glance down at the water.

She waits and when the girl doesn't add anything she asks, "Why the change of heart?"

The girl turns again, her eyes boring into hers once more, making her feel naked.

"I realized that I wasn't alone in this feeling." It's almost a whisper but she hears it.

"Also the water looks really cold." Again that knowing smile with the humorous tone.

She doesn't understand how the girl manages to look so calm and collected. Especially after what she's admitted. But the girl's mood is contagious and her words are soothing or maybe it's her voice. She's not sure but she hasn't felt so relaxed in a long time.

"The last thing I expected was to be talked out of jumping." She admits.

"Did it work?" The girl asks hopefully.

She thinks about it. She knows she's safe for tonight. "Yeah."

The girl smiles and pushes herself gently away from the railing. "The week is not over yet, I might just have hope."

The girl pulls out a paper and pen, scribbles on it, and hands it to her. "If you ever need to talk."

As the girl begins to walk away, she reads the name next to the phone number, Faye.

"My name is Diana." She calls out stopping the girl.

Faye turns around and smiles, "Good night Diana."

It's Friday morning and she's walking home alone in the chilly air but she might have just found hope. She feels like she can breathe.


End file.
